A mentor of mine- a 4 time Grammy nominee, once said to me, “The good news is, nowadays, everyone can make a record”. But the bad news is,” he said, “Everyone can make a record…”. There are so many people making music now- anywhere from people posting videos of them singing in their bedroom, to people investing large amounts of money to create incredible tracks and videos! In an industry filled with so many singers, songwriters, and performers all ‘competing’ for space in a market where a video of a cat playing bass is shared and spread around on social media more often than an awesome music video to an incredible new track- artists of this generation of music face needing to ‘stand out’ more than ever.

As a voice coach I see so many artists with this dilemma. And while I will concede that there isn’t a formula to standing out per se- I do know that there are things that singers and performers can do to make sure that they don’t get buried in the sand. Of course, we’re only scratching the surface here- but it’s a good start!

Firstly, it really helps to know what makes you unique, or in other words, what your ‘it’ factors are. I’d say almost every singer I work with thinks they know what they are, but it is really hard to catch the subtle things I’m talking about by yourself. This can be a tone in your voice, the way you phrase lines, your vibrato, the melodic choices you make- or a combination of many different things. You can’t just decide your ‘it factors’. They are already there in your voice and in your personality - and the right training and focus can draw them out and make them shine.

Secondly, you need to know how to create ‘moments’. These moments need to be present in your songs, performances, videos, and in everything that you do. Think about what you share with others when it comes into your inbox. It’s probably not that song you heard from start to finish that sounded nice but nothing really happened in it. Finding a way to create moments while still being authentic is an art- and instead of solely practicing on hitting the right pitch- turn your focus to something that really matters!

Lastly and most importantly, I feel all singers need an angle. This is the ‘way’ you distribute your music, yourself, or in other words your “brand”. This is not an easy thing to do for most. But for those who have figured it out- they are reaping the rewards!! An ‘angle’ is almost like a campaign- a way for people to consume your music in a way that is both exciting and somewhat predictable in a crazy sense. I could talk hours about this! But for now, think of this as a look, feel, theme, or something that grabs attention of audiences, ideally all while being authentic.

If you have these three things in place- it factors, moments, and your angle, you will be SO much further ahead than most! And in this industry, that counts for a lot!

Tamara Beatty is a Voice Consultant on the NBC Emmy Award winning reality show "The Voice”, has two decades of experience teaching private voice lessons, holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Music and Education from the University of Calgary and is a sought after consultant in the education and entertainment business. She is known for her precision, fast fixes, and ability to see the big picture of a person and artist.